Nasal leishmaniasis and amputation in ancient Peruvian ceramics • 99 



Among them were prostheses of the up- 

 per and lower extremities. We selected 

 12 of these cases, the first 4 represent- 

 ing different types of limb amputations 

 and the rest being a complete sequence 

 of the prostheses operations. 



Figure 1 1 represents a case of an am- 

 putation of the left arm. The person 

 uses a short cape which had a false hand 

 at the bottom. Figure 1 2 shows a case of 

 a bilateral arm amputation. Figure 13 

 reveals an extensive operation with the 

 removal of the complete right arm. A 

 more radical surgical operation appears 

 in Figure 14: the patient has suffered 

 bilateral arm and foot amputations; it is 

 possible that these surgical mutilations 

 were done as a punitive sentence be- 

 cause there are also mutilations of the 

 upper lips and part of the wall of the 

 nose. 



In the next eight ceramic pieces the 

 craftsmen represent a successful se- 

 quence of a prosthesis of the leg and 

 arm. Figure 15 shows the traumatolo- 

 gist examining a patient's leg previous 

 to the operation. Figure 16 demon- 

 strates the second stage. The patient has 

 been operated upon recently. The two 

 bones of the left leg appear through the 

 surgical wound. Figure 17 shows an- 

 other patient who has been operated on 

 some time ago. The wound appears 

 completely healed. Figures 18 and 19 

 correspond to the fourth stage of the 

 prosthesis operation. Two patients are 

 testing the prosthesis apparatus with the 

 hand opposite to the amputated leg. In 

 Figure 20 another patient appears with 

 the prosthesis attached to his left leg, 

 and Figure 21 reveals the last stage of 

 this traumatologic operation. The pa- 

 tient is walking with the help of a cane 

 and the prosthesis is attached to his left 

 leg. 



We did not find a complete sequence 

 of the prosthesis of the arms. However, 

 we found two instances of patients with 

 the prosthesis attached to the arms. Fig- 

 ure 22 shows one of these cases. The 

 patient was a blind man who had a pros- 



FiGURE 1 1 . Amputation of left arm. Mochica culture, ceramic. Lima. Peru. 



Figure 12. Bilateral arm amputation. Mochica culture, ceramic. Lima. Peru. 



Figure 13. Extensive surgical operation of right arm. Mochica culture, ceramic. 

 Lima, Peru. 



Figure 14. Bilateral arm and foot amputations. Mochica culture, ceramic. Lima, 

 Peru. 



Zagreb Paleopathology Symp. 1988 



